Up early for a 6 hour bus ride to Ankara. Our main destination today was the Antikabir Mausoleum commemorating the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. A very famous, historical person I have never heard of!
Briefly, Atatürk was a military officer during World War I. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, he led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence. Having established a provisional government in Ankara, he defeated the forces sent by the Allies. His military campaigns gained Turkey independence. Atatürk then embarked upon a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms, seeking to transform the former Ottoman Empire into a modern, westernized and secular Muslim nation-state.
The principles of Atatürk's reforms, upon which modern Turkey was established, has affected Islam as we see it today. Primarily I am speaking of his rejection of the “Caliphate”. The Caliphate would have been the Muslim Pope. An individual, not the Koran would dictate belief, or as we hear it today, Sharia Law. The conservative, militant Muslim countries were pushing hard for the Caliphate, but due to Ataturk’s rejection of it in 1925 it has never been multi-nationally approached again. High five Ataturk!
This is Ataturk’s “symbolic sarcophagus” which is above the inaccessible “tomb room”. You can buy a video of it.
The late afternoon was ours so Gloria and I set out with map in hand to head across Ankara. Well, we miscalculated losing daylight savings time, and before we got to the part of the city we wanted to explore, it was dark.
So….what’s for dinner in a part of the city with only locals and no English? We found a small restaurant with pictures on the menu and asked if they had an English version. If restaurants do, it is usually a go. They didn’t have an English menu, but they pulled out of a drawer a piece of paper in a sheet protector that would have to do. It is below.
That, “SPECIAL TURKISH KEBAB _________?” coupled with the regular menu:
After some hand jestering and pointing on our part, we ordered, and hoped. Food was excellent, service was excellent, a great adventure. Oh, we always check to make sure we never order “efendy” shish kabobs. Lamb kabobs are fine, sheep testicles kabobs are not!
Finally, after dinner we got to our destination, Bayram Camii Mosque. One of the oldest Mosques in Ankara dating to the 1400’s.
Apparently it is very popular with the locals. There were three sets of escalators in the plaza surrounding the Mosque?! Gloria and I started down one and quickly were told first by an older man, then by a security officer that escalators are only for men. Gloria had to reverse and go down some old stairs, I was encouraged to go down the escalator, but I demurred and went down the stairs with my wife. When in Turkey……….
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